The present invention relates to the application of water and oil repellent compounds to assembled garments, in particular, the spraying and curing of a liquid repellent on the surface of the fabric of assembled garments.
Liquid fluorine compounds when applied to fabrics from which clothing is manufactured are known to provide the treated fabric with the ability to shed water and oils after the treated fabric is properly cured. Curing is typically performed at a temperature in the range of 120-180 degrees C.
The treatment of uncut fabrics is relatively straight forward and can easily be accomplished by an automatic process. However, treating the fabric after the garment is assembled is not so easily accomplished.
It would be desirable to have an apparatus and method whereby the repellent compound could be sprayed and cured on assembled garments automatically, taking the shape and length of the garment into consideration as the process is performed. The present invention accomplishes each of those results automatically.